Chronic Migraines/Quitting Narcotics

[Forest]

The following was recently posted on the old wetpaint forum

Hi...
I'm new to this forum but I have been reading the posts quite a bit.
My story (briefly)...
I've had chronic migraines with nausea for over 6 years now. I started like everyone else, going to a neurologist and just recently (January) had surgery performed to remove the nerves in my "trigger" areas. I've been through all drug therapies and every type of alternative treatment available to no avail.

After a bit of prompting from a family member I read through one of Sarno's book "the Mindbody Prescription". It helped quite a bit with the pain. At the same time, I wanted to stop taking the painkiller Nucynta. I've been on some kind of painkiller for the last 4 years. I was taking 200-300 mg of nucynta with 4-6 excedrin migraines daily. It's been 3 weeks since I stopped taking the drug and now I'm finding myself extremely anxious and depressed. I'm trying to approach the depression/anxiety the same way as the migraine pain but it just doesn't seem to work. I feel very despondent and the lack of interest in work and music(I'm a musician) is overwhelming. My problem is I don't know if I transferred the pain over to depression/anxiety or if this is a physical withdrawal from the Nucynta. I can't seem to find anyone that is familiar with that particular narcotic. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hiya and Welcome to the wiki,

First, it is great to hear that you were able to reduce your pain after reading the Mindbody Prescription. It is one of my favorite Sarno books. The pain meds situation can be a little tricky, and how a person handles them should depend on their situation. I also think its important to seek the advice of a physician, so they can let you know of the possible side effects and things to look out for. There is a great response to this in one of our Q&A questions by John Stracks called When Should I stop taking pain medications during my recovery. I suggest checking it out.

Also, journaling can help you understand some of your emotions better and figure out why you are experiencing a lack of interest in certain things. Anxiety and TMS are pretty similar so treating it in a similar fashion may be very helpful. If you continue to be worried about it, it may be a good idea to see a practitioner who can help you sort through some of the more intense feelings.

If you have any questions at all feel free to ask us.

Forest